"God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him." 1 John 4:16b
Is what John said possible? How can a person have such a relationship with God? When one is baptized, one becomes a member of God's family, an adopted child of God (since original sin separated us from God). Jesus died to make this possible; to make right what Adam and Eve had destroyed in disobedience. So, in baptism we become a children of God. But is that all? We read the Scripture and learn of God's love for us and learn to celebrate the new life God has made possible for us. But is that all? We learn to pray, to communicate with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We know about God through the Scripture, and we begin to know God through prayer - to have a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But is that all? No, Jesus made it possible to have union with God, something much deeper. Jesus said, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." John 6:56 Jesus made this possible in the Last Supper and through His sacrifice on the cross and with His command to do it; a celebration of the New Covenant sealed with His Blood. In eating the Lamb of the New Covenant, we are able to have the union Jesus spoke of in John 6 - much more than a relationship - union with the Word, Jesus, Himself.
"What matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And without the love of Jesus, everything else is useless." St. John Paul II
+++++++++++++++++++++God's timing is not our timing, but He is never late.+++++++++++++++
"If we're open to it, God can use even the smallest thing to change our lives." Donna Van Liere, The Christmas Shoes
"If we're open to it, God can use even the smallest thing to change our lives." Donna Van Liere, The Christmas Shoes
Layers - in the knowledge of God and the path to holiness
Learning about God is like unwrapping a head of lettuce, pealing back one leaf at a time. Always there is another leaf below. We will eventually reach the center of the head of lettuce; but we will never unwrap everthing there is to know about God.
The path to holiness is like pealing an onion. God shows us what is sinful and convicts us that we have sinned. No matter how sweet the onion, there are always tears in the peeling. No matter how sweet the grace of repentence, there are always the pain of letting go of the sin. As the peeling of the onion reveals another layer, so God shows us what we lack in holiness, drawing us ever closer to "be(ing) perfect even just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48
The path to holiness is like pealing an onion. God shows us what is sinful and convicts us that we have sinned. No matter how sweet the onion, there are always tears in the peeling. No matter how sweet the grace of repentence, there are always the pain of letting go of the sin. As the peeling of the onion reveals another layer, so God shows us what we lack in holiness, drawing us ever closer to "be(ing) perfect even just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48
What I Believe
Why I am and always will be a Catholic. "So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. Tthe living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever." John 6:53-58 The words and actions of man cannot sanctify. Only the priest, empowered by his ordination, can invoke the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into Jesus so we can receive Him - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity into our bodies and souls. This is the core of the Catholic Church; without this there is no purpose or meaning to the Catholic Church. There are other ways to holiness, to grow in grace; there is no better way than union with Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
Visitation Catholic Church
Thursday, December 3, 2009
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